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Small Business Saturday - A new national campaign is urging consumers to take a break between the big-box madness of Black Friday and the bargain-hunting of Cyber Monday and spend today patronizing neighborhood merchants in a new event dubbed Small Business Saturday.

Backed by American Express OPEN, the division of the credit card giant that serves small businesses, the campaign supports the locally owned businesses that help give neighborhoods their character.

"We're really focused on the little guys that don't have the national or regional brand names hanging over their doors," said Cinda Baxter, the small business advocate in Minneapolis whose activities helped spawn today's event.

Baxter said that about 18 months ago she floated an idea in a blog posting. She called it the 3/50 Project: Find three local merchants you love and spend $50 at each per month.

She described 3/50 as a less confrontational variant of the broader buy-local movement because her approac…

Celebrity Apprentice Gary Busey - The cast for the third edition of The Celebrity Apprentice was officially revealed today with a cast photo, and it's one of the more extraordinarily off-beat casts of celebrities ever assembled. There's a rapper, Michael Jackson's sister, a country singer, a baseball player, a Survivor, a Real Housewife of Atlanta and Sugar Ray.

I've become so accustomed to no-name stars being cast on reality shows that I'm simply happy as a clam to actually recognize almost all of the 16 celebrities on this show. They are:

Lil Jon: rapper

Hope Dworaczyk: Playboy playmate

John Rich: Country singer from the group Big 'n' Rich

Gary Busey: supremely crazy actor

Richard Hatch: the guy who won Survivor, not the one who was Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica

Rey Decerega Elbows The President - Rey Decerega, Program Director for Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, gave President Obama Stitches when he elbowed him in the mouth during a basketball game. Decerega was no immediately named as the one who did the elbowing but Robert Gibbs later made the announcement. The President was having a little fun by playing a little five on five B Ball and Rey Decerega was on the opposing team. Rey went to make a shot and the President was trying to block. President Obama needs to learn he can’t block an elbow with his mouth as it cost him a busted lip and 12 stitches. Decerega says the President is a good sport, but could the elbow have been a little payback because Obama has not delivered amnesty to the millions of illegal immigrants yet? With Republicans in charge of the House come January, there is almost no chance of amnesty now for the illegal immigrants that suck up our resources each year. Maybe Decerega was just taking out his frustration o…

Young Justice Premiere - Young Justice made its debut on Friday night with an hour-long edition on the Cartoon Network. It was a clever concept that was pretty well-executed: above-average animation; intriguingly different takes on a few familiar characters; and the promise of even better editions to come.

The debut centered around Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy. (I liked the way Speedy quit early on, disgusted at the lack of respect he was being shown by Green Arrow and other adult super-heroes — it was an unexpected move for a new series to use.) The plot concerned the Cadmus Project, busy manufacturing naughty genomes and using stolen Superman-DNA to hatch Superboy.

Cyber Monday Deals - For those of you that feel like that may of missed out on one too many deals on the biggest shopping day of the year, will be happy to hear that all the holiday deals are still going strong and will be through Monday. Monday is what online shoppers consider to be the “cyber black Monday”, and online deals are expected to be hotter than ever. The craziness that took place on Black Friday is not your average shopping adventure. The lines are longer, the shoppers are pushier, and every shopper seems to be after the biggest and best deals on the same products, electronics.

Electronics are always a hot item on every Christmas list, and the more popular the game or gadget, the harder it is to come by. Black Friday is known for being the day to capture the best shopping deals of the year but the journey is just to much for some shoppers. People tend to think the only way to take advantage of all the deals this holiday season is to get out front and center of all the acti…

Barack Obama Gets Stitches - President Barack Obama required 12 stitches in his lip after he was injured during a pickup basketball game Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Get the rest of today's latest news

Obama was playing with a group of family and friends who were visiting for Thanksgiving, the White House said, but would not identify the owner of the stray elbow that caught the president in the mouth. Obama's nephew, Avery Robinson, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Reggie Love, Obama's personal assistant, were among the players on the court, though the White House said that none of them were responsible for the injury.

Obama received the stitches under local anesthesia in the doctor's office on the ground floor of the White House. He received 12 stitches of a smaller-than-normal filament that makes a tighter stitch and leaves a smaller scar.

Jobless Rates Down - A decline in the number of new applications for unemployment benefits suggests New Jersey’s labor market may be stabilizing even as job opportunities remain sparse for the out-of-work.

Initial claims fell 15 percent during the second week this month, a drop attributed to Veterans Day, when state offices were closed to people filing for new benefits.

In spite of the holiday-related dip, some economists expect the number of new applications for unemployment benefits to resume their usual year-end climb.

While the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits is slowing, New Jersey’s insured unemployment rate remains among the nation’s highest at 3.9 percent, tied with California and Nevada and trailing behind Alaska, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico.

The insured unemployment rate includes only jobless people who are receiving regular state-funded unemployment benefits.

Patrick O’Keefe, director of economic research at J.H. Cohn in Roseland, said year-over-y…

Smartphone Reviews 2010 - It's that time of year again when consumers dream of dancing sugar plums and gadgets.

From TVs to smartphones to laptops, device makers, retailers, and service providers are all pushing the hottest gear at low prices. There's no question the holiday shopping season has turned into a bargain hunter's dream when it comes to smartphones.

In this week's Ask Maggie column a reader asks if he should take advantage of these deals or wait until the new year to buy his first smartphone. With AT&T and Verizon Wireless offering some high-end smartphones for a penny or less, it's hard to argue that he should wait to see what new devices come out in 2011.

And with the help of my fellow CNET reporters and editors, I help another reader decide between purchasing an iPad or an iMac. Finally, another reader writes to Ask Maggie about a problem he's had with AT&T's usage-based billing.

How To Shop For Free - Black Friday has really stimulated the need to find better deals on items in the shopping market. It seems as though the population enjoys the kind of deals they are finding today and would like to see them more often.

The google trends are showing right now that the term “How To Shop Free Using Coupons And Gift Cards” is being searched for and at a volcanic level right now.

Saving money on the merchandise is prompting merchants to offer special incentives, coupons, gift cards and rebates to stimulate more sales today and through the end of the year.

Little do people know that it is always possible to save money and practically shop for free when playing your cards right. Online is where most savvy shoppers are searching for the deals.

Recently a website named How to Shop For Free (http://www.howtoshopforfree.net/) has had much success when showing how to hunt for bargains at multiple restaurants,department stores and grocery stores.

Cyber Monday 2010 - Cyber Monday deals on easy-to-ship items can be as compelling as Black Friday's deals.Cyber Monday deals used to be the leftovers – items that didn't sell on Black Friday were put up for sale again on the following Monday. But in the last three years, the event has come into its own.Some Cyber Monday deals can be just as good as Black Friday's offerings. The trick: Use the day to shop for items that are easy to ship and usually sell online.

Cyber Monday 2010 Online Shopping is more myth than anything. Retailers have never got traction with this foolishness. Sure, a lot of people shop on line (I do almost all mine this way), but there's no compelling reason to do it on a specific day and, indeed, doing so can impact the amount of time needed for delivery.

Americans are wising up. We are beginning to understand that an economy that is based on 70% of the GDP being retail sales and that those sales are credit-based is not sustainable. Few are willing t…

Nikon Coolpix S205 - Target has just released their Black Friday Ads for 2010 in all different kinds of media. Here compiled within this post are the highlights of Target’s Black Friday Ads featuring the best deals and the best buys you can get from their doorbuster items. Make sure to have your eye on these items on 4am on Black Friday!

Another great deal about buying at Target on Black Friday is that they will give you a free $10 Target Gift Card when you spend $100 or more in the store. Make sure to go early if you want this free Target Gift Card because they offer it only from 4-10am and is limited to only one card per guest.

Another $30 gift card will be given if you buy an 8GB iPod touch for only $225.

Another $15 Gift Card will be given on any purchase of 8GB iPod Nano for only $145.

Check out these best deals from Target and we emphasized on percentage the sale and the savings you can get from Target on Black Friday.

Black Friday iPad Sales - The Apple Black Friday 2010 has finally kicked off and brings the entire range including the iPod Touch, MacBook and iPad. Savings will run all day today via their website. You can save $101 on a MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Apple Black Friday 2010: iPad sale

However what's most interesting is the Apple iPad sale. The Apple tablet is now available from Apple online starting at $458 ($41 discount). Now while its great that Apple has finally decided to take part in the Black Friday sales and offer discounts on their products alongside apps in the App store, it is surprising to note that you can grab an Apple iPad for cheaper elsewhere.
Other retailers have their own Black Friday iPad sale

We have received confirmed reports that both Marshalls and T.J. Maxx have the base iPad 16GB iPad model on sale as well at an extremely low $399.99. That's $100 off the recommended retail price and also $59 cheaper than direct from Apple.

Apple Store Black Friday Deals - Apple has now made their Black Friday deals available and the Apple stores will have traffic as a result of this. If the predicted increase in holiday shopping happens as predicted, then these items on sale will do well. As an example, the Apple iTV has already sold out according to Apple Insider at online retailers, so you may have to try the Apple store in person.

All deals listed at that site are also available at Apple directly, so you can order them online, though I did not see the Apple iTV there, so things may not be exactly the same online as they are in the stores. Apple Insider has an excellent list for you to review and it appears iPod is the gift to give this year based on what they are showing. Prices at the Apple store may not necessarily be the lowest and you probably should do better at some of the online retailers. It does look like there will be a lot of online sales today.

Pricegrabber Cybershopping - Cyber Monday, the day of increased online shopping the first Monday after Thanksgiving, no longer sees consumers grabbing post-Black Friday deals at work, according to a survey of 1,839 online consumers by PriceGrabber.

PriceGrabber reports that, unlike in years past, few people will do their Cyber Monday shopping at work, with 87% saying they’ll browse from home.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they plan on shopping for deals online Nov. 29, and 33% said they expected to find the best online deals that day, instead of Black Friday.

“The increased availability of high-speed Internet in homes has significantly contributed to the transition of Cyber Monday shopping from work to home,” said PriceGrabber president Laura Conrad. “Additionally, the explosion onto the market of mobile devices with Internet access like smartphones, tablets, and netbooks has freed shoppers from being tied to their desktop or laptop computer when they want to shop online. C…

Lil Kim Black Friday - Black Friday – We knew that there was not much love between Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj, but in recent days, the attacks between the ladies have escalated to a whole new level.

Once a upon a time rapper Nicki Minaj had claimed to have respect for Lil ‘Kim, she even went as far as saying that she considered her as a “big sister”.The two women have met on several occasions and have posed together for countless photos.

Now all they do is exchange harsh words, in songs, in interviews and during concerts.
Young Money’s Minaj who has just released her first solo album, Pink Friday and is expected to sell between 375,000 and 425,000 units (she will be second on the charts after Kanye West who sold between 525,000 and 575,000 copies of his latest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) was just hit with a diss song called “Black Friday” courtesy of the Queen Bee.

Lil Kim who was a huge star in the 90′s goes out of her way to blast Minaj saying,

Amazon Website - Amazon.com launched Amazon.it on Tuesday, an Italian-language website offering customers in Italy books, DVDs, video games, music and consumer electronics. Launching with more categories than any other Amazon website has launched with, the selection also includes computers, software, small home appliances, watches and toys. The Italian site joins Amazon.com's U.S., Canadian, UK, German, French, Chinese and Japanese sites.

Services on Amazon.it include Amazon Prime, the membership program with unlimited free guaranteed 2-3-day delivery at an annual fee of 9.99 Euros.

In a press release, Amazon.com founder and CEO said the company's first order from Italy was to Genova in August 1995 for the book, "Ranks of Bronze."

To celebrate the launch, Amazon.it is offering deals, including a special 30 percent discount on most books.

Leftover Turkey - What's one to do with all that leftover turkey? You could settle for turkey sandwiches smothered in stuffing and cranberry sauce, or you could make a healthier choice and toss it into a tasty broth for a healthy serving of turkey soup! Got left over celery and carrots? You can toss that stuff in there, too. A filling warm stew, it's the perfect way to wind down the Thanksgiving holiday and take a breather from all that heavy eating.

Black Friday Internet Sales - Retailers in the US have kicked off the holiday shopping season today with the annual Black Friday sales, as shops open across the county at dawn.

Many retailers in the UK have followed suit and are offering deals across the stores to kick start Christmas shopping. This comes ahead of what is traditionally known in the UK as ‘Manic Monday’. Online sales are expected to soar in what is quite often the busiest day of shopping of the Internet.

David Kelly, ex Amazon and eBay director and current managing director of Rackspace, details the five principles he believes will help retailers cope with the influx in demand while keeping customers happy.

This Monday marks ‘Manic Monday’ where millions of shoppers log onto retail Web sites and start mass-buying their Christmas gifts. In the US, retailers and e-retailers offer ‘black Friday’ promotions to attract shoppers and convince them to start their Christmas shopping in earnest; and it looks like the UK is follo…

Black Friday Netbook Deals - Shoppers and Retailers are now getting ready for Black Friday 2010 which is the biggest shopping day on the year. Black Friday marks the start of the shopping season which ends after New Year.

Walmart LogoNumber of retailers including Walmart and Best Buy have advertised the Laptops, Desktop and Netbook deals in their Black Friday Ads.

Walmart is pitching 15.6″ HP Laptop for less than $300. In another deal, the retailer will has promised 15.6″ eMachines Laptop for under $200. Walmart’s doorbuster list is full of HDTV models. The store will carry at least three models of HDTV as the Black Friday 2010 deals.

PC Richards - Target, P.C. Richard and Son and the Tanger Outlets all voluntarily close Thanksgiving, and if County Executive Steve Levy has his way, all other major retailers in Suffolk will be required to do the same.

Mr. Levy has proposed legislation requiring stores larger than 7,500 square feet to be closed from noon to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, starting next year. The law would not apply to food and entertainment businesses.

“Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday that is uniquely distinguished as a family day,” Mr. Levy said in a press release. “Certain stores do not recognize some employees’ need to take time off from work, so this legislation is designed to help preserve an aspect of Thanksgiving that makes it such a special, bonding occasion.”

The bill calls for fines for violations of up to $1,500.

Greg Richard, the president of P.C. Richard & Son called the proposed legislation, “a wonderful thing.”

Black Friday Laptop Deals - In the days leading up to Black Friday, we've spotted a few more notable laptop sales, particularly on Apple's MacBook laptops -- which are top of many wish lists.

This is especially notable, as MacBooks (and indeed, most Apple products) are rarely offered at any discount from Apple's list price. These deals come from Apple re-sellers, who are likely eating the cost of the discount to get shoppers into their (virtual) stores, in the hopes of loading them up with accessories and extras.

Apple is also touting its own Black Friday sale, but as it does every year, the details won't be available until the sale goes live on Friday. Based on the discounts spotted at Apple's Australian website (the first timezone to cross into Friday), look for 8-to-10-percent discounts on most items, including hardware.

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Most recent Circuit City Cyber Monday stores

Cyber Monday Deals 2010 - Using Cyber Monday Deals in 2010 is the way to get bargains just like on the famous Black Friday. Shoppers are looking for these online only deals to avoid large crowds and shopping in nasty weather.

Some websites are reporting only a handful of deals and coupons available as retailers usually wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to announce the special offers.

Cyber Monday shopper Alice Jones says, "Why wait in the rain, cold and with other angry customers when I can sit at my computer for Cyber Monday sales"

While some deals reportedly set for Black Friday have been seen online, no official or even leaked reports or ads have been seen at this time for the online shopping day.

Black Friday saw many people waiting hours in line for items with frenzied shoppers sometimes coming away empty handed during the mad dash for savings.

Violence Before Ivory Coast Vote - As Ivory Coast prepares to complete its first presidential poll in a decade, the two candidates in Sunday's runoff called for an end to the violence that has marked recent campaigning.

Multiple clashes between the candidates' supporters in the last week have caused at least two deaths in a key battleground in the center of the country, stoking ethnic tensions right before a vote that could bring a peaceful closure to the world's largest cocoa producer's enduring crisis, or plunge it back into ethnic violence.

Interior Ministry Official Auguste Zoguehi said a man was killed in clashes in Oume, in the center of the country, on Friday. The previous night, Zoguehi had announced on state television that one man was stabbed to death by rival supporters in nearby Bayota.

That announcement came just minutes before President Laurent Gbagbo and rival Alassane Ouattara participated in one of the first live televised candidates' debates in Af…

Leapster 2 Sale - Black Friday 2010 is this week, but that isn’t keeping stores from trying to release ads to get people in before the big shopping day. If you get the paper early today, you may see Toys R Us’ pre-Black Friday 2010 ad, which has a number of deals only available from November 21 - 24, 2010. It even has that handly little coupon that gives you a $10 Toys R Us gift card if you make a purchase over $75.

First, all DS and PSP games are part of a buy one, get one 50% off promotion. There are no price limitations or anything. If it’s in stock and you can find two games you want, then the cheaper of the two will be 50% off the normal price.

The front page of the Toys R Us ad is all about educational Leapster and V.Reader and MobiGo devices and games for little kids. The Leapsters will both be $10 off, so you can get a Leapster 2 for $39.99 or a Leapster Explorer for $59.99. All games for both devices will also be $18.74 each. The V.Reader is going to be $54.99 and the MobiGo …

Australian Dollar Tumbles On Reserve Comments - The euro fell to a fresh two-month low against a broadly recovering dollar on Friday as a relentless rise in euro zone countries' bond yields fanned worries over their debt financing.

The Australian dollar tumbled after the Australian central bank quashed chances of an imminent rate hike while the yen hit a seven-week low against the dollar, with fresh sabre-rattling by North Korea helping the U.S. currency.

"We've been hearing one piece of bad news after another from the euro zone lately. There's even talk of a breakup of the euro zone," said Tsutomu Soma, manager of foreign securities at Okasan Securities.

A majority of euro zone nations and the European Central Bank are urging Portugal to apply for a financial bailout from a European rescue fund, Financial Times Deutschland reported on Friday. [ID:nLDE6AO26F]

"I think Portugal has already crossed the point of no return. Its bond yield has gone beyond a sust…

Best Buy Black Friday 2010 - Black Friday 2010 just started with great deals in many stores which were scheduled to open at 4AM. However, others stores including Best Buy, Walmart, Kmart and Big Lots are yet to launch their Black Friday sales.

WalmartMany shoppers are expected to stay home to find the Black Friday Online Deals through internet. Best Buy offering Black Friday deals on number of laptops and other electronics items. Consumer Electronic Retail Giant is giving $150 off on number of laptops as Online deals. The Online Sales generally start early as compared to regular Black Friday store hours. Best Buy sale for online deals started before 5AM.

Reggie Bush Not Performing - Reggie Bush's status is still a mystery. The Saints' running back/return man, who has been out since the second week of the season with a broken leg, was listed as questionable for Thursday's game at Dallas.

Bush was limited in practice Wednesday. He refrained from making any predictions about whether he would play or not, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Bush said he felt good. He said the same thing last week and was a scratch against the Seahawks.

ESPN had reported last week that Bush would play last Sunday, but that report was bogus.

The Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey is questionable for the Cowboys game with a rib injury. He missed last week's game against the Seahawks. Safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Darren Sharper are also listed as questionable.

Anuradha Koirala Wins Hero Of The Year - Anuradha Koirala received a CNN Hero award for her work in “protecting the powerless” and advancing the cause of human and equal rights at an awards ceremony at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.

Koirala and her group, Maiti Nepal, have worked to rescue more than 12,000 Nepalese girls and women from human trafficking and sexual exploitation, according to CNN.

“I ask everyone to join me to create a society free of trafficking. We need to do this for all our daughters," Koirala said Koirala at the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute which aired Thanksgiving night and will continue to air worldwide on CNN International through Saturday.

CNN`s Anderson Cooper announced the Top 10 result from their online poll at the conclusion of the award show. The show was taped before an audience of 5,000 on Nov. 20.

According to the Maiti Nepal website, it was founded in 1993 by a group of teachers, journalists and social workers. Its focus has always been on…

Toys "R" Us Black Friday deals offers 25% off all strollers, highchairs, car seats and boosters. And there is Free Shipping for the sales that ends today. There is no shopping codes or cutting and pasting codes. Free shipping is done automatically!

Fry’s electronics Black Friday is a site dedicated to Fry’s Electronics. It is the "official" Fry’s black Friday site but it is not associated with Fry’s Electronics. This site is known for posting leaked Fry’s advertisements early, much to Fry’s owners dismay. Fry’s has stores in California, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Best Buy has some amazing Black Friday sales coming your way. How would you like a 50-inch HDTV for $699? Best Buy is offering a Panasonic Viera 50-inch plasma TV for $699. The Nintendo Wii console with Wii Remote…

Fiat Chrysler Venture - Fiat SpA plans to build cars and sports-utility vehicles for the Jeep and Alfa Romeo brands as part of a joint venture with Chrysler Group LLC at its Mirafiori plant in Turin, Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne said.

The carmaker plans to use U.S. “platforms” and make as many as 280,000 vehicles a year at the plant, Marchionne said in a speech to unions today in Turin. New Jeep and Alfa models will be ready by the fourth quarter of 2012.

Italy’s largest manufacturer is spending 20 billion euros ($26.5 billion) through 2014 to improve factories and vehicle development in exchange for union concessions on work rules. Marchionne said today that new labor rules will be needed for the Mirafiori plant.

Fiat, which acquired a 20 percent stake in Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler last year, has said it will raise the holding to 25 percent by the first quarter of 2011 and to 35 percent by the end of next year. Marchionne plans to take the U.S. automaker publi…

Acer Tablet Computers - In announcing its new line of tablet computers, Acer was expected to make waves, but the biggest splash came from the Iconia, a duel-display PC that is similar to duel-screen laptops already publicized.

The Iconia features two 14-inch screen backlit with LEDs and loaded with WiFi, Bluetooth, an Intel Core i5 CPU and Intel HD graphics. It weighs in at 6.18 pounds, which tips the scales a bit of a tablet PC, but the quality of the design and display somewhat make up for it. With only a 4-cell battery running the whole machine, battery lifespan is bound to be disappointing. Acer said the Iconia’s battery life was a paltry 2.5 to 3 hours.

The Iconia’s best feature is the unique multi-touch experience it features. The bottom screen acts as a full touchscreen keyboard but can be modified to suit whatever task you are performing. Touching five fingers to the bottom of the display will bring up what known as the Acer Ring, a control tool for working with media applicat…

Barack and Michelle Obama - The first family stopped by Martha's Table in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to help distribute Thanksgiving food.

While greeting needy families and wishing each a "Happy Thanksgiving," President Barack Obama and his family, including his mother-in-law, handed out bags filled with all the trimmings of a traditional holiday meal.

That same day, First Lady Michelle Obama sent out an email encouraging Americans to get involved in serving their communities.

"In our family, we have a tradition: Every year on the day before Thanksgiving, we take some time as a family to help out people in our community who are in need," she wrote. "This Thanksgiving, I encourage all Americans to find a way to give back – and maybe even start a family tradition of your own."

Lindsey Buss, president and CEO of Martha's Table, a non-profit organization in Northwest DC, lauded the first family's tradition.